Martin Adams beaten by Jamie Hughes at BDO World Championship
Monday 16 January 2017 06:51, UK
Three-time Lakeside champion Martin Adams' bid for a fourth BDO world title is over after he was beaten 5-4 by fourth seed Jamie Hughes.
Wolfie, who revealed last year that he has been battling prostate cancer, had been hoping to continue a fairytale run at Frimley Green having already beaten Jeff Smith and Ryan Joyce, but 'Yosser' edged him out in a nine-set thriller that went all the way
Hughes was beaten in the semi-final last year and had to battle all the way to repeat the feat and eventually see off the 60-year-old crowd favourite who made a blistering start.
Adams, champion in 2007, 2010 and 2011, roared into a 2-0 lead, averaging over 100 for each of the first two sets before moving 3-1 in front but Hughes took advantage of a wilting Adams.
The veteran missed 16 darts at a double in the sixth set, allowing Hughes to level the match at 3-3 before a clinical 80 check-out wrapped up the seventh set to give Hughes the lead for the first time.
However Adams took advantage of Hughes' miscalculations in the eight set. The Wolverhampton thrower went for bull rather than the double 12 that he needed to hand Wolfie a chance that he snaffled before going on to clinch the set and level the match.
There was nothing between the pair in the decider but trailing 2-1 Adams saw opportunities to level the set go begging and Hughes stepped up to pin double top and secure victory in a Lakeside classic.
Next up for Hughes will be Glen Durrant after the top seed beat Lithuania's Darius Labanauskas 5-2.
Daryl Fitton reached a third career semi-final in a thrilling opening contest to Friday's action, the man from Stockport has never gone beyond the last four at the Lakeside but edged out Belgium Geert De Vos.
Fitton last reached the semi-final in 2009 when he lost to close friend Tony O'Shea and he remained on course for a place in the final after holding off a De Vos fightback.
The Belgian battled back from 4-2 down to send the match into a deciding set but with the ninth set level at 2-2, the Dazzler struck a crucial break of throw to set up victory and a semi-final with Danny Noppert after the third seed knocked out defending champion Scott Waites 5-3.
In the women's event, Lisa Ashton booked her place in a fourth final in five years with a straightforward win over Aileen de Graaf.
The 2014 and 2015 champion will meet either Australia's Corrine Hammond after she defeated Anastasia Dobromyslova 2-0.
